Living Large in Cincinnati...Iowa, That Is

N. Tammie Josifovic

If you daydream of an idyllic "Green Acres" lifestyle, get a reality check from our cousin town: Cincinnati, Iowa, the second-largest Cincinnati in the U.S. The last full census pegged our population at 331,285. The Iowa town counted 428 residents. Both towns share a predominantly German heritage.

There are only two other places in the Iowa town for employment: the post office and convenience store. For everything else, residents go to the nearby metropolis of Centerville (population 5,900). The average drive-time from town to the largest area employer (a Rubbermaid plant) is about the same as the average drive-time for Queen City commuters"”about 22 minutes.

The median cost of a single-family residence in Cincinnati, Iowa, is"”get this"”$18,400. The median-priced house here ($93,000) could get you five investment properties in scenic Iowa.Wake up. Cincinnati, Iowa, has one elementary school. Older kids ride buses to schools in Centerville. The big Cross-State Shootout is Iowa vs. Iowa State. Case closed.